An effectively colorful, somewhat philosophical story of love and heartbreak on the golf links.
A brief tale about mystery men on the golf links.
Stories are circulating on the Old Elm Golf Course about a guy named Jimmy who lives in the sand trap near the 5th green, sleeps on the grounds, and survives on discarded food from the clubhouse. Regulars on the course are accustomed to seeing Jimmy cheering them on, but as the book opens, he hasn’t been seen in a couple of days. The author quickly makes it clear that Jimmy has had a long, interesting history of his own, caddying and golfing in some of the world’s renowned, far-flung courses (including the famous spots in Scotland), while also finding adventure and romance. This golf-oriented personal history takes on a greater resonance when reflected in the background of an unnamed young man who’s visiting Old Elm; he’s learning the ways of the sport and being introduced to the allure of the golfing world. As these two parallel plotlines unfold, Berner finds plenty of opportunities to include the pseudo-philosophizing that’s apparently a requirement for golf lit. “Experiences, the good and the bad, are the doors to happiness,” goes one such passage. “Heartache and joy run alongside one another. Love is found and lost, and both feed us.” Berner’s plainspoken narrative has an appealing roughness (“The boy was certain that whenever Jimmy scratched together some money, he bought booze,” the boy reflects at one point. “Everyone figured as much”). And golf enthusiasts who’ve wondered about the backstories of those odd individuals who always seem to inhabit the peripheries of old courses will appreciate the fantasy Berner has spun here.
An effectively colorful, somewhat philosophical story of love and heartbreak on the golf links.Pub Date: June 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-1789049121
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Roundfire Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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